[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: this is american history tv, every weekend on c-span3. next on our weekly series railamerica, a series of nbc news special reports covering the breaking news story of the fall of the berlin wall 30 years ago on november 9, 1989. in one hour, james baker, who was secretary of state to resident george w. bush, talks about the experience from the perspective of the white house. and at 8:00 p.m. eastern on the presidency, johnson knew and andrew card offer insight into white house responses to major events, including the 1991 collapse of the soviet union and 9/11. h. sununu served under george

dubya bush and mr. card under george w. bush. they compare the leadership styles of father and son. that is what is coming up here on american history tv. >> we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. >> good afternoon. we have a late and truly a sensational report coming in from east germany. in a news conference which ended just a few minutes ago in east berlin, government officials have announced communist east germany have announced their border open with west germany. east german citizens now have the right to cross directly from east germany into west germany. up to now, the thousands, tens of thousands of east germans going west have had to pass through other communist nations, most of them passing through czechoslovakia. but as of right now according to the official statement just

concluded, they have the right to go directly to west germany. nbc correspondent dennis murphy is in berlin right now and has been following the events. what more do you know about this startling decision? >> it is truly astonishing. in a series of events that have happened the last few days and hours. in the last five minutes on television here in west berlin and also in the east, the germans east and west, speaking for the government, the media spokesman said are no more borders, that east germans may cross to the west over whatever existing border frontiers there are. that eliminates the route through czechoslovakia. we have been following the last few days, the hundreds of thousands of east germans who are leaving via that route. that is no longer necessary. in effect, i think what we have here is a berlin wall which is a symbol but -- the frontiers themselves are open. he says in the next few weeks, there will be some provisional time to prepare the legislation to make this all correct and constitutional.

but what we have seen now in the last few hours is the collapse of all of the borders between east and west germany. >> dennis, as you said, that the berlin wall which divided the two sides of the cities is a symbol. but as far as you know, will that wall itself along the brandenburg gate near check point charlie, will those openings be open for east germans? >> as we read the words, the words that were read to the people here tonight, that is correct. all of the checkpoints we know, checkpoint charlie and the others, those gates will be open. it remains to be seen how the news will be taken here in the next few hours, but the very grim facade of the wall, with all of the dogs and guards, this only is a symbol at this point because the gates will be open according to what the people were told on television tonight. >> we're just getting a bulletin cominge wire service

from east berlin telling us what you reported, the east german spokesman says the new announcement means the new order means people can pass through the berlin wall itself from east berlin to west berlin. of course these developments coming as the communist leadership, the communist authorities have been under tremendous pressure because of the tens of thousands of east germans fleeing their country. as of this evening, they can leave whenever they want and however they want. of course we will have further developments throughout the afternoon and a full report this evening on nbc nightly news from tom brokaw, who is in east berlin today. that is the news for now. nbc news, new york. >> this has been an nbc news special report. >> we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. >> good afternoon. here's the latest information

coming to us from east germany , where short while ago government officials made the very startling announcement that east german citizens will have the right to leave their country to travel directly to west germany or to west berlin. it will no longer be necessary for east germans leaving their country to travel to other communist nations such as hungary, poland, or czechoslovakia. that is the route that tens of thousands of east germans have been taking the last several weeks. the announcement was made by the spokesman. as you know, the government there has been under very heavy pressure from the new political opposition and from the tens of thousands leaving the country. here is how the announcement was made on east german television this evening. [speaking german] >> the announcer here says the communist leadership has decided to draw up a new travel law that until that law has been passed by the east german parliament, east germans will have the right to cross through all border

points between east germany and west germany, including east berlin and west berlin. that announcement was made at the news conference which concluded just a few minutes ago in east berlin. of course two points to keep in mind here. first of all, the berlin wall, the wall of concrete and barbed wire and minefields still stands, but as of right now, it appears to be nothing more than a symbol of the old iron curtain because east berliners will now have the right to leave through the wall directly into west berlin itself. the government announced instead that east germans will have to have visas to go out but in order was given today to the police authority along the border to issue those visas to anyone who wants to leave and to issue them quickly. so, to wrap up again, the east german government has bowed to the increasing pressure from its own citizenry demanding greater freedom, including freedom to travel.

as of right now, they have that freedom to leave their country legally to come to the west. we will have more information as it comes to us throughout the afternoon from east berlin and this evening tom brokaw will be reporting directly from east berlin at nbc nightly news. that is it for now. >> this has been an nbc news special report. we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. >> good afternoon. we are continuing to follow developments in east germany. a short while ago as you may know the communist leaders announced their opening their border between east and west germany from east berlin to west berlin the berlin wall itself. that announcement, a very surprising and important announcement, came this afternoon made by the chief official spokesman of the communist party. tom brokaw is in east berlin at this moment. he was covering that news conference. tom, give us the details.

>> it was a surprise because it came at the end of a lengthy news conference that came from the east berlin communist party chief. it was almost by accident he told the assembled reporters they recommended this afternoon and it is about to become formal government policy that any east german citizen who wants to leave this country temporarily or permanently will be able to do so by going through the many checkpoints of the berlin wall by crossing the borders into the west. it will no longer be necessary to go to hungary or czechoslovakia to get out of here. this, in effect, in effect, dissolves the berlin wall, although of course it will remain standing physically. >> and of course it has been standing there since 1961. we are familiar with the pictures of the tens of thousands of east germans who have been coming to west germany over the last several weeks and months.

is one of the ideas that the east germans have that this could ease the pressure on them by giving east germans the right to leave directly to the west? >> well, there are two intentions, two strategies here. one is have got to relieve the burden on czechoslovakia. that is the cover tonight. but the underlying motivation is that the communist party hopes that this will demonstrate its him good intentions, its determination to reform this country. it has been trying everything as you know in the last several weeks, including throwing out the hardliners card, today promising free elections, recognizing opposition parties. tonight, this dramatic announcement that the wall, in effect, after almost 30 years, is coming down. >> tom, thank you. we look forward to your report this evening from berlin on nbc nightly news. reaction is also starting to come in from washington, from the bush administration. secretary of state jim baker had this to say about the east german declaration.

be a would seem to me to very positive development and it should be a development that we should welcome, if indeed the announcement means that they have opened the border to free travel. we have been talking for a long time about freedom of travel as being a basic human right. we have been talking for a long time about open borders. and we've been talking for a long time about the importance of seeing the wall come down. i don't know what this announcement means because i have not seen it yet. in terms of its full impact. but if they are indeed opening their borders, i think that is a positive development. --rick perry of state secretary of state jim baker. just trying to figure out what all this means. there is considerable concern the administration things may be going too far, too fast. >> this is not necessarily a happy development, because what it means is there is now great instability. we have seen the east german government try one strategy after another to deal with this, but there was a period of instability.

diplomacy basically does not like instability. remember your history, that the assassination at sarajevo, a small event in itself, eventually touched off world war i. >> what we are not talking about that in this situation. the decision made by the east germans today should and will be welcome as the fact the wall has been opened up. >> i think the thing that they will welcome the most is the fact it may now lance the boil and let off some of the pressure so that you don't have such instability in east germany that eventually there might be clashes between citizens and the police. >> we should also remember that all of this is happening just a few weeks before the summit conference between bush and gorbachev in the mediterranean. exciting times. john, thank you very much. at the department of defense, fred francis, who covers military matters, is standing by with the pentagon's view of what is happening today. >> in the last hour, i've spoken to several senior military officials in this building, both civilian and military.

and they are quite frankly awestruck by all of this. one of them who has been deeply involved in looking ahead a year or two on what u.s. military cuts would mean in europe on the budgets, said consider the impact of the u.s. military in europe without walls, consider the impact of the u.s. budget in europe where there is no credible threat of war. and those are significant numbers. right now there are 770,000 u.s. americans in europe, 320,000 assigned nato soldiers, men and women, another 300,000 dependents of civilians, 150,000 civilians working there. an extraordinary number. and it amounts to approximately $170 billion a year of u.s. taxpayer's money. and if there is a europe without a credible threat of war, with a warsaw pact that it cannot mount an attack on the west, then is there the need for all of these troops? and those are the numbers and

the surprising calculations that are going on in this building today. >> thank you very much. of course those are very important, exciting questions to face. we are not there yet. where we are right now on this thursday in november is that the east german government, the communist leaders have decided to open their borders as of tomorrow morning. any east german citizen can leave to the west of his or her own choosing through the east/west german border or even through the berlin wall itself. hard to believe, but that is the news of today. this evening tom brokaw will be reporting from berlin on nbc nightly news. been an nbc news special report. >> our objective is a europe whole and free. gorbachev talks about a common home. is it a step towards that? probably so.

>> what about immigration to this country? >> there is no indication of that. these are germans going to germany. >> what is the danger of this spinning out of control? secretary baker commented earlier about on how rapidly -- nobody expected this to happen as quickly as it did. is there a danger here that things are accelerating too quickly? >> i would not want to say this kind of development makes things be moving too quickly at all. the kind of development we would would long encourage by our strong support. i'm not going to pontificate that if anything goes too fast. we are handling it in a way

where we are not trying to give anybody a hard time. we are saluting those who can move forward with democracy. we are encouraging the concept of a europe, poland-free. and so we just welcome it. i don't like to go into a lot of hypothesis about too much change or too rapid change or what i would do, what our whole team here would do if something went wrong. i think it is being handled by the west very well. and certainly, you salute the people in east germany whose aspirations for freedom seem to be a little further down the road now. >> [indiscernible]

>> i don't think anyone can resist it in europe or in the western hemisphere. that is one of the great things about dynamic change in central america. moving in our direction. >> did you ever imagine anything like this happening -- >> on your watch? >> we have imagined it, but i can't say i foresaw this development at this stage. now, i did not foresee it, but imagining it? yes. when i talked about a europe whole and free, we are talking about this kind of freedom to come and go, this kind of staying with and living by the helsinki act, which gives people the right to come and go. >> in what you just said, this is a great victory for our side in the east-west battle, but you don't seem elated. and i'm wondering if you're

thinking of the problems -- >> i am not an emotional kind of guy. i am very pleased. i have been very pleased with a lot of other developments. and as i told you, i think the united states part of this, which is not related to this development today particularly, is being handled in a proper fashion. and we will have some that will suggest more flamboyant courses of action for this country. and i think we are handling this properly with allies, staying in close touch. in this dynamic change, try to help as development takes place, try to enhance form both political and economic. and so, the fact that i'm not bubbling over, maybe it is getting long for the evening because i feel very good about it. >> what i wanted to ask is the second part of that was, is your what are we going

to do if it does explode over there? obviously, if they just flood into west germany, they are handling it now, but they only have 200,000. what if they get one million? what if they get two million? >> what i would like to think is the political change in the gdr would catch up right, would catch up very fast with this liberation, if you will. you may remember that before i went to poland, i don't know whether jim baker was sitting next to me, i know brent was there, john sununu, and i was asked by a polish journalist if i were a young pole, what would my advice be? what i said was, i think you ought to stay there and participate in this dramatic change in your country. you ought to feel the surge of freedom, feel the move toward democracy, and be a part of it. and these are germans. and germans love their country.

and at some point, i think a lot of germans who had felt unable to move are going to say, look, we can move, but wouldn't be better to participate in the reforms that are taking place in our own country? so i think it is too early to but these openings are there. that means everybody is going to take off. >> [indiscernible] he said to gorbachev that europe's side is winning. is that the kind of thing you're going to communicate to him? >> he has expressed his interest in a common european home. we faced it differently. we said a europe whole and free. and when you see citizens wanting to go and flee what has been an oppressive society,

clearly, that is a message that mr. gorbachev will understand. he sees it not only in eastern europe, but he sees it inside the soviet union. so we will have a lively -- before these developments took place, i have said we would be discussing a rapid change inside eastern europe. and we have been talking about that today, just before you all came in here. we have been talking about the gorbachev meeting. and one of the things that we are determined we will discuss, and i know he will want to discuss, is this change. >> mr. president, do you think maybe east germans will want to stay and participate in reforming their country -- that suggests you think german reunification is some ways off. what is your view? >> i do not see they are related. huh? >> [indiscernible] >> i think it is way too early to speak on that. i have spoken out on the question of german reunification.

the know the president of france spoke out. i've heard what the chancellor has had to say about it. but michael, i don't know whether the development of today speeds up the day or not. >> mr. president -- [indiscernible] >> discussing a wide array of those subjects with the soviets. i know of their interest in talking about that, so we will be prepared to talk about it. >> [indiscernible] >> i would like to talk to him soon, but he is off in poland. i may try to get him there. but i talked to him quite recently. we confer quite regularly. >> have you talked any of the others? >> not yet. no. >> [indiscernible] >> we might want to talk about it. >> president george bush speaking just moments ago from the oval office on the surprise announcement from the government

of east germany that there were opening their borders, all their borders to the west, giving the east german people freedom to travel where they wish as long as they wish, for the first time since the berlin wall was erected in 1961. early on in that news conference, president bush was referring to west german chancellor helmut kohl, who has just left for a trip to poland, left before the surprise announcement was made. west germany of course has been besieged by refugees. 200,000 of them over the last several weeks. 50,000 of them since saturday alone. the u.s. pentagon has announced that it has agreed to temporarily provide emergency housing for about close to 1000 of the east germans flooding into the west. there is a lot more reaction in washington. robert hager is standing by there.

>> mary alice, as you can imagine, everybody is talking about this here. just before the president spoke, vice president dan quayle called reporters into his office at the old exec of office building and said events and east germany were not moving too fast. in fact, he said the sooner the better. there was a flurry on the senate floor with several senators speaking out. the majority leader george mitchell of maine said that it was a step that the east germans had to take. let's listen to that now. >> today's decision, not an act of democracy, not an act to please or placate the west, but a desperate act of survival by the east german government to permit their people to leave, represents the symbolic destruction of the berlin wall. >> there was a contrasting reaction from the minority leader, republican bob dole of kansas. a statement on the senate floor that was restrained.

>> talk of reelections can turn out to be nothing more than talk. there is -- with some deadwood remove. but seven of the 11 members are holdovers from the old bureau, and they are undoubtedly still powerful forces which will see all of the recent developments as abhorrent. >> this was an afternoon when the house of representatives passed the spending bill, which produced a lot of debate about military spending in the house . and included that in that is a lot of money for high-tech military items. later, two congressmen of different stripes, liberal democrat ron dellums, and conservative republican john kasich, both offered the same view, questioning why are we spending all this money on high-tech military items when things like this are going on in central europe? mary alice? >> ok, thank you, bob. nato of course is also very concerned about this.

remember that the berlin wall, put up in 1961, has shaped the politics and policies of whole generation. john cochran is standing by at the white house with more reaction. >> alice, i was struck by how low-key the president was, how cautious, how prudent. adjectives we use all the time in describing george bush. a couple of reasons why he did not appear more elated and public about the announcement of the past two days in east germany. first of all, he doesn't want to gloat. after all, he has got this meeting coming up on the second of december with gorbachev. the worst thing he knows he could do is to gloat and embarrass gorbachev as they prepare for their talks. and secondly, it is a little early to gloat. east germans are not out of the woods yet. it is still possible there could be a crackdown. there are still some conservatives in east germany. this could all turn around. at the last moment, you could see the east german communist party party decide they've tried everything else, tried to institute reforms, they will crack down and use force. that is a possibility. so george bush is not counting

his chickens too early. he is that cautious president. >> we have talked about this being a gamble. we have talked about it being a gamble by gorbachev. can you determine which one the president views as being the mover and shaker behind this action today? >> the feeling here is that none of this would've happened if gorbachev did not exist. there's also the feeling that gorbachev, he would not tolerate, would not support a crackdown, military or police slugging it out in the streets. that would not be tolerated. all, gorbachev said he would not do that in his own country. there are people in the white house, people who don't trust gorbachev, who pointed out from time to time the soviet union still see the kgb knocking heads in the streets of moscow. so, the feeling here is that gorbachev is ultimately responsible for what is happening.

but as i say, there's a feeling here that this isn't complete victory. they're not saying the iron curtain is definitely down yet, mary alice. >> we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. here is mary alice williams. >> astonishing events today unfolding in east germany. the berlin wall that separated east and west and shaped the politics of a generation is no longer a barrier to freedom. the east german government in a , in a surprise announcement today, said its borders to the west would be open, its people given the right to travel freely anywhere they want for as long as they want. for the first time since the berlin wall was erected in 1961. with us now from san antonio, is the west german ambassador. thank you for being with us, mr. ambassador. your reaction to these amazing events. >> it is a pleasure to be with you. i think it is breathtaking events for us. i have not heard the details yet on how this new permission to travel from gdr, from east

germany to west germany, is going to be shaped, but i think it has been a demand from the east germans, as well as from our side, for a long time that there will be an opportunity to travel freely from east germany to west germany. and if that comes about, i think this is going to be a very important and remarkable step. and i share your opinion. i think it will reduce the importance of the wall. in other words, it will punch a hole into the berlin wall. and let me add, i think if these steps are being taken, that may be an encouragement for the germans in gdr that they see that reforms are taking place, and that it might encourage them to stay in east germany and to see how and when and how quickly these reforms are taking place in east germany.

>> just in the past six weeks, mr. ambassador, 200,000 east germans have fled, most of them to your country, putting a terrible strain on your infrastructure and your economy. in the short-term, how can west germany handle what is expected to be an even larger flow of refugees? >> well, i think my compatriots in the federal republic of germany have received the refugees with great emotional welcome and with solidarity. indeed, the larger number, the growing number of refugees creates growing problems. so far, we have been able to find employment for quite a few of them. the good state of the economy helps. we have had about 300,000 vacant positions beginning of this week, but housing is a growing concern and a growing problem. but it is important that reforms take place in east germany. and my government has said if these reforms take place, we are

willing to do very substantial help and support for these reforms. >> it sounds a bit as though you're asking east germans to stay where they are? it sounds as though you are asking east german citizens to stay where they are and not come to the west? >> no, we have always said it is their decision to take. whenever they come to us they are very welcome. they will receive a passport and they will receive all of the support we can give them. to accommodate them in the federal republic of germany. i think i recall that after 1945, we have integrated over 10 million refugees. even if the number keeps growing that is a magnitude we can cope with.

we are doing the best to help them and to cope with the situation. mary alice: you are saying you will continue to allow as many east germans to come into your country. to the extent that that is detrimental to the east german economy, how can west germany handle that, help east germany? >> we can extend our cooperation. we have very good corporation in the economic field, industrial, economic connections. we have connections in environmental problems, cleaning the rivers, cleaning the air. with partnerships and cities. all of these different areas can be extended considerably if this process of reforms take place. mary alice: today your government announced that they thought the wall should be taken down as soon as tomorrow. do you think it should be taken down? >> will i mean, that is the line of the government. that would make progress is significant.

i think the main point is that the cities now have this perspective of free travel. that was the largest impediment for movement from east to west germany. and i think this is a very remarkable step if this can be brought about. mary alice: mr. ambassador, thank you very much for being with us. the west german ambassador speaking to us tonight from san antonio. nbc will keep you updated on these dramatic developments today. tomon nbc nightly news, brokaw will be reporting from berlin. i am mary alice williams. >> this has been an nbc news special report. >> we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. here is mary alice williams. mary alice: the communist east german government struggling to survive, today decided to

reverse a decades-old policy and let its people go. they announced they will be free to travel over any of its borders, including the one was west germany, including the berlin wall. bill 21 years ago to stop the kind of exodus to the west we have seen in the last six weeks. president bush has applauded the announcement as a dramatic development but the president has said that he does not think any single event is the end of the iron curtain. robert hager is standing by in washington. bob? robert: the president reacted cautiously, first allowing a couple hours to go by before he called reporters in to the white house to make his off-the-cuff statements. he said he welcomed the decision. here you will hear him making reference to the gdr, the formal name for east germany. here is what the president had to say.

president bush: let's hope the gdr goes forward now. willhis wall built in 1961 have very little relevance. it is clearly a very good development in terms of human rights, and i must say after discussing this here with the secretary of state and national security advisor, i am very pleased with this development. with a truly open border, it is very hard to predict how many will be trying to leave. so, it's a dynamic development. and we just have to wait and see. robert: as you said mary alice, the president did not think that any single event would mark the and of the iron curtain. but he did say clearly we are a long ways from the harshest days. the president was asked about his low-key demeanor. the president insisted he was elated and said to the reporters, i'm just not an emotional kind of guy. mary alice?

mary alice: ok, thank you, bob. presidential spokesman marlon fitzwater said earlier in the day that all of the allies are standing by watching and willing to help if necessarily -- necessary. the pentagon has agreed to temporarily house of to 1000 refugees who have landed in east west germany. helmut kohl has called for direct talks to discuss the communist party political crisis. just yesterday he purged the old guard, diminished the size of the politburo, urged free elections, hinted at a multiparty system, promised new laws of freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of the press. earlier i spoke with the west german ambassador to the united states, and he indicated that a major flow of refugees is going to be a problem. >> the growing number of refugees creates growing problems. so far we have been able to find

employment for quite a few of them. the good state of the economy helps. we have had about 300,000 beginning of this week, but housing is a growing concern and a growing problem. but it is important that reforms take place in east germany. and my government has said if these reforms take place, we are willing to do very substantial help and support for these reforms. mary alice: at the brandenburg gate now, a major checkpoint between east and west in berlin, we have martin fletcher standing by. martin, what is the mood of the people after today's announcement? martin: jubilant here at the brandenburg gate. west berliners have come here for hours now, shouting at the east german border guard to let their people go, to break the wall down. they have been lighting candles at the foot of the wall in memory of the east germans who have died trying to escape. that will no longer be necessary.

mary alice: details that need yet to be worked out, for example, visas for those who simply want to visit as opposed to emigration. -- is that going to newark going to work, do you know? martin: most east germans to not have passports or travel papers. it will take time and they expect in westmoreland berlin a -- expect here in west berlin a lot of east berliners to come across. mary alice: what about the economic ramifications on west germany for taking all of these refugees in? martin: it is interesting. because most of the refugees so far who have come across have been young or semiskilled or skilled and had been a great boost to the west german workforce. at the same time there is a housing shortage and the refugees have added to that. so there has been some competition among those in west germany looking for refugees. but there has been a lot of goodwill towards absorbing them.

mary alice: are there suggestions in the west german government for east germans to stay there, work within their system and watch the democracy movement grow there rather than emigrating to the west? martin: yes, it's an irony. for years the east germans have been calling on the west german government. they have been coming in such large numbers that the west germans are getting worried and they are calling on the east germans to put their house in order. and there are also calls on those leaving saying look, finally we have a chance to reform our society. don't leave. stay and help work it out. mary alice: how serious is the refugee problem there in west berlin? martin: it is pretty serious. many refugees have come through czechoslovakia and hungary. many refugees have come here. west berlin is the outpost. it is closer to east germany. many refugees have come here.

there is also -- there has always been a major housing shortage here and they have made a lot worse. it is a welcome problem, if you like. mary alice: thank you very much, martin. east german's extraordinary actions, not only for the political stability of germany, but for the military policies of nato and the defense policies of america. all of the is no doub, will be talking points at the bush-gorbachev summit next month. i am mary alice williams in new york. tonight on nbc nightly news, tom brokaw will be reporting from berlin. >> the tonight show starring johnny carson and late night with david letterman will be seen in their entirety following this nbc news special report. [cheering] >> east berlin tonight. tens of thousands of people

crossing into west berlin, pouring through the berlin wall. not waiting for special visas or daybreak. they are still coming. >> this is an nbc special report. here is garrick utley. garrick: berlin, you are looking at a live picture of the berlin wall shortly before the dawn of a new day, a day that will see this border open for freedom to all in east germany. this is 5:30 in the morning, berlin time. these crowds, mostly young people, have been here all night, celebrating the opening all of the wall, welcoming the tens of thousands of east germans coming across to the west. good evening. we are truly privileged tonight. we are eyewitnesses to history. who on either side of the berlin wall or in this country would have believed this morning that this day would end the way it has? and with the symbol of the division of europe, of the

division of the free world and that which is not free disappearing, or at least becoming irrelevant? that is the result of a stunning surprise decision, the announcement that east germans may now leave their country and cross directly into east west germany, even through the berlin wall itself. tonight, germans on both sides of the berlin wall could not wait to test their new freedom. these were sites unthinkable only a few hours ago. young west germans atop the concrete barrier, reaching out to east germans, helping them up the wall despite a barrage of water cannons. jubilance and graffiti where once there was only despair. for 28 years, the wall has been a part of berlin life, a given, something that was just there. tonight, it symbolizes something else, the failure of an east german government to resist change, and the sound of

new freedom, the chipping away of the wall itself, and the system that built it. what we are witnessing this evening in berlin is euphoria set against the cold, bleak background of the wall itself. tom brokaw is covering the events. earlier this evening i spoke with tom brokaw and corresponded ent mike on the western side of the wall. tom, i doubt if any of you watching the scene can believe what is happening. talk to us about what you have been experiencing. tom: it has been a very giddy day here. actually a giddy afternoon and evening. the remarkable thing is the east german communist party announced this almost by accident. it came at the end of a long news conference and the propaganda minister was reading policy, and then when the word began to spread throughout east and west berlin, then control was lost on both sides.

the people came here, effectively seized control of the wall. you were on this side when the east german kids started to claim the wall. >> there is a dead zone on the others out of the wall. no one thought the east germans would be able to cross over. we looked over and all of a sudden several hundred east germans started running by those who were firing wire continents -- water cannons and they would not stop. they ran up to the wall. they started pulling them up by the hundreds. and many of them are here now. tom: and we are told that east berlin and west berlin authorities have worked it out so they can cross both ways. the question is, what will this mean for the east german communist party? it offer this conjecture in an effort it is serious about reform, but will it be the undoing of the party? that will play out in the next several weeks, months, maybe as

long as a year. garrick: tomorrow morning, does anyone have any idea of the numbers that might be coming through that wall? are west berliners prepared? tom: frankly, this whole thing is being handled moment by moment. i don't think anyone is prepared for that at all. one of the leaders of the reform movement on the other side of the wall in east germany said tonight that they may lose as as many as a million people, but many of them will come back and there will be a chance to revive the country. but what we could have once these flood god's -- these flood gates is a curiosity, an enormous outpouring from east germany out of curiosity of nothing else. the city will be besieged. one young man said earlier tonight i just want to take a walk across and see what it is like. >> i spoke with one man who said i hope i don't lose my job. tom: there was an east german

guard who said, this is not good for us. we could lose our jobs. and of course all this is going on tonight right up to the moment that the word went out. so checking cards, still having to buy visas. then suddenly after 28 years it came to a sudden halt. ofly it was an example people power. garrick: thank you very much. we will follow events as they continue to unfold. >> the wall itself. how did it get there and why? 1961. east germany was slowly bleeding to death. then, as now, east germany's communist leaders were desperate. and suddenly it was there on that august morning of 1961. it did not look like a wall at first. it was just a barbed wire fence. but it was enough to stop people.

soon came the stone and the steel and the orders from guards to shoot to kill. later, there would be watchtowers and minefields. families were divided. the division of berlin was also the division of a country and a continent. it was the front line in the cold war that threatened to turn hot. american and soviet forces stared each other down, but fortunately neither side opened fire. it is ironic, but true, that as the communists felt more secure behind their wall, the danger of conflict dwindled. europe grew more stable and peaceful, but at a price. all these years it has been the people who have paid for their decision to build the wall, to hold onto their power. now, today, the people have the freedom for which they have waited so long and which their leaders have now so grudgingly granted them. these events have been moving at a dizzying pace, catching even experts by surprise.

it is not often that one sees is history being made so suddenly. today was the most dramatic of all. we go through the dramatic moments. >> some came to stay. some came just for a visit. they all walked into history as a barrier in the heart of germany came down. >> i am 24 years old and i have waited for this moment my whole life. >> west german police forces say agreement earlier in the day cleared this crossing as the first breach in the wall. but soon, east germans crowded through other checkpoints. no visas, no passports. and for some, no intention to go home. family will settle in munich in west germany. west berlin's mayor appealed for

calm. tomorrow, all crossings are expected to be open. berliners and all germans will come to terms with the joint and the worry caused by this sudden, unexpected embrace. >> what does this mean for germany? four berlin? >> on the one hand, it is happiness. but on the other hand, many problems come to us. >> tonight at least, the problems of bringing the two germany's together were forgotten. it was a night to cross bridges, scale walls. a night for a divided nation to come together again. garrick: and as we watch those remarkable scenes from east and west berlin, they have announced that as of 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, friday morning, anyone leaving east germany to the west can go, but first they must obtain a visa. the open-door policy of this

evening, for this night only. as of 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, they have to have a visa. anyone who wants one can get one. for the past 28 years, when it was not possible to cross bridges or scale that wall, people have tried to escape any way they could. their efforts were a testimony to their bravery, to their ingenuity, and often to their desperation. and the images remained with us. at first it was literally a tug-of-war between the long arm of the oppressor and the desire for freedom. this woman made it. many more did not. almost 200 east germans have died trying to cross the wall, or the long border between east and west germany. for each person fleeing, there was that moment of terror when he or she was a target for the border guards. but still, they came. sometimes, well-laid plans

worked. the escape was successful. but we should not forget those who tried and failed. in 1962, an nbc news documentary showed the digging of a tunnel from once berlin under the wall to bring 59 people to freedom. >> every six feet, they planted two uprights and across them, a shaped four-by-four that held up the wooden ceiling. the man with the beard was a refugee himself. he had fled east germany after 4.5 years in a communist prison. now he wrenched the clay out of a tunnel face they spade, twisting to fill the car in a space 3 feet by 3 feet, barrier aomier -- barely roomier than coffin. on thursday, september 14, they make their last inspection. in august, the builders of still another tunnel had broken

through into a seller and looked up into the eyes and gun barrels of communist police. some were killed and some were captured. in 10 minutes, the first of the refugees would come. death was not the greatest danger. prison camps can be worse. one of the diggers watched his daughter come through. and then, his wife. he had escaped from east germany a year before. his wife had spent 10 months in a communist prison for trying to follow him, and their second child was born in jail. tonight, for the first time, he held his baby. garrick: that was back in 1962. the nbc news documentary program, the tunnel. million east

berliners went out before the wall went up. in the next quarter century, 39,000 others reached the concrete and barbed wires with guards with orders to shoot to kill. the past two years, the iron curtain began to rupture. more than 250,000 swarmed into the west. through the years, some immigrated here to the united states. for them especially, what happened today has special meaning. ♪ >> there could not have been a better night for the annual first fast in the german community of new braunfels in texas. all over the united states, those who fled germany found joy and comfort in today's historic developments. at a high school in littleton, colorado today, tina was the memory for the german students who were not born when the wall divided her former country. the 50-year-old came to the united states from east berlin and her family still lives there. the suddenness of the change,

the prospect of getting her family out, is overwhelming. >> this is an extremely exciting thing to happen. you are here when history is being made. and i am so glad i have not kicked the bucket yet. they fled to the u.s. when the country was divided. the two germanys were never really the homeland. >> suddenly, this is part of our world again. like the china wall, so to speak. it was hiding the holy spirit you see people like us again, and the past and in some ways present again. >> today is a very special day. >> today was the monthly luncheon with the portland german-american society. >> have you heard the news? the borders to eastern germany are open. [applause] >> at the monthly ritual where

they can talk about the past, it became a special day of talking about the future. >> if you were to ask me a week ago if this was possible, i would not have accepted it. these are our people, our family. ♪ >> and then around the piano, sang a version of deutschland uber alles. tonight, a song of freedom. nbc news, new york. garrick: for years, the berlin wall has been held up as a symbol of the failure of communism. a place where leaders of the free world could go and orate and challenge the leaders of the other side and not think about what they would do if the wall were to come down, or at least

open up one day. here are voices from the past. president reagan: yes, this wall will fall, for it cannot withstand faith. it cannot withstand the truth. the wall cannot withstand freedom. president kennedy: there are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. let them come to berlin. this generation of germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation. live in peace with goodwill to all people. freedom is indivisible. and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. all free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin.

and therefore, as a free man, i take pride in the words "ich bin ein berliner." [cheering] [applause] garrick: and now, a personal note, if i may. many years ago as a young correspondent with nbc news i lived in west berlin. and every morning as i awoke, the first sight to greet me was east berlin, the brandenburg gate, and the wall. and one morning as i stood at the window of my apartment i had a terrible thought. how easy it was for one to grow accustomed to the wall. it became part of the landscape, part of your life. until you did not even notice it anymore. how wonderful it will be for east and west berliners to open their curtains tomorrow morning, see the wall, and know it no longer separates them. now let's go back to tom brokaw at the wall.

tom: i guess i always thought that 1968 would be the most memorable year of my journalistic career. the deaths of robert kennedy and martin luther king, the invasion of czechoslovakia, the democratic national convention in chicago, of course. but 1989. think about what we have witnessed this year on the joyful side. tiananmen square, the democracy movement is not yet dead. it may be on the run, but it is not yet dead. and then what has been going on in the communist world on both sides of this wall. the climax, what has happened here tonight. the wall has effectively come down. and i mean physically as well. that is a chunk of the berlin wall. men and women atop the wall tonight, hammer and chisel, taking it down, symbolically, because realistically it had been taken down by the people in the last eight hours or so. they are tossing this wall east to west, and west to east. they are being joined once again

as one, as freedom-loving people, and no wall can stand in their way. it is a night to remember. garrick: thank you, tom. finally we must say that here at nbc news we take a certain journalistic pride in our coverage of the wall, not only today. on the day the wall went up back in 1961, david brinkley was at the brandenburg gate. the night the wall opened up, tom brokaw was there. and tomorrow, tom and the rest of the nbc team will provide you with full coverage of the events in berlin. i am garrick utley. good night. >> this has been an nbc news special report. we now join the program already in progress. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] --railamerica

announcer: tonight on q&a, journalist susanna discusses her book the great pretender, about a 1973 experiment led by a stanford psychologist testing the legitimacy of psychiatric hospitals. >> >> because it has such a wide influence on the mental health crisis today was touched by the study, and a lot of public opinion about psychiatry and institutions were in part shaped by the study. it, we in questioning have to go back and question some of our assumptions. gives us an opportunity to go back and reassess in a way to move forward because you cannot move forward on the rotten foundation. if this study was not legitimate, we have to rethink some conclusions it presented.

>> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." american history tv products are now available at the new c-span online store. see what is new for american history tv and check out all of the c-span products. >> next, former secretary of state james baker recounts his time as the country's top diplomat. he served in the george h.w. bush administration 30 years ago, at the time of the fall of the berlin wall. he talked with philanthropist david rubenstein at the diplomacy center foundation in washington, d.c.